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if the unionistas have their way...

...how soon before we are looking at a $10 Big Mac? Whenever the unions take a company over, not only do the ignorant employees that helped vote it in get their just rewards, but the consumer takes it in the shorts as well. Corporations aren't in the business to pay employees more than their value withour passing those costs on to the consumer.

As long as this regime of socialistic believers is in power, unions will be emboldened to think they can cow any operation they please. If this happens to the fast food industry you can kiss ALL entry-level jobs goodby, and rather than 25% UNemployment among the teens, there will be an impossible chance FOR employment in that age group. Even the constant push by the socialistic democrats for increases in the minimum wage, at what everyone with even an entry-level bit of intelligence knows, is making it harder for the teens to find a job now. Unionization will make that impossible. Couple that with Obamacare, and many of the local fast food outlets that are already marginal will be out of business.

With union bosses once again clamoring that they are ‘in crisis,’ union bosses are looking to expand their membership into areas that have been traditionally immune to unions.
For the last several months, union-supported fast food workers have been staging “impromptu” strikes throughout the country.

Like the union-supported Occupy movement before it, the fast-food workers’ efforts are being coordinated by media-savvy professional organizers employed by the Service Employees International Union, a union front group called ROC (Restaurant Opportunities Center), as well as an assorted array of pro-union politicians and “community activist” groups.

In actuality, however, the entire fast-food effort is part of a four-year old plan cooked up by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

So far, the union-funded protesters are demanding raises to $15–more than twice the minimum wage–under the slick campaign slogan “Fight for $15.” However, the true aim of the SEIU and its allies is to unionize the industry and it appears the SEIU is about to launch a full-out blitzkrieg fast food joints across the country.

Based on an interview with Salon.com, it seems that SEIU boss Mary Kay Henry, using typical Marxist logic, is trying to alter the world of the french-frying proletariat and bourgeoisie.

“It’s more about, ‘How do we shift things in the entire low-wage economy?’” she claims.

Henry was joined by SEIU assistant to the president for organizing Scott Courtney, who said to expect “a big escalation” from fast food workers in “the next week or 10 days.”
[snip]

…“The story is leverage in and of itself.” And “the fact that workers are taking these risks I think is our leverage.”
Where does that leverage lead? Could the endgame be a deal where corporations agree to pave the way for union negotiations and the union agrees before formal bargaining to carve out some parts of the country or cap the potential increase in labor costs? “It could be something like that,” said Courtney. “I think anything you know about traditional collective bargaining is possible,” said Henry, “and then things we haven’t imagined.” She added that innovations may be necessary to address the franchisee structure of the industry, in which fast food corporations set the business model – and reap substantial portions of the revenue — but don’t directly employ many of the workers. Could that franchisee structure itself be vulnerable to political or legal challenge? “Yeah, I think there’s a lot of areas,” said Courtney. “But again, it’s brand-new” and “certainly not fleshed out.” [Emphasis added.]

While Courtney claims “it’s brand new,” the reality is the SEIU’s strategy is only an altered version of its 2009 blueprint:

Initiate a focused experiment in one or two metro areas to test the organizing theory and bring resources to bear on a limited geographical target.

Choose metro areas with a favorable local political environment and workforce composition (Los Angeles and an east coast market) [The SEIU chose New York to launch its fast food union campaign]

Target 7-10 of the largest chains to keep bargaining manageable and map out geographic clusters where field work can be concentrated. [Though McDonalds was the first, other chains are now being targeted by the union.]

Build broad-based support for targeted workers via extensive community outreach and organizing and political work with prominent local elected officials

While staying focused on the 7-10 chains, bring workers together across companies within geographic clusters to build a sense of movement and solidarity. [Fast-food strikes, when they occur, are not at a single restaurant but several.]

Use a living wage as a vehicle to excite, build momentum, build worker lists/ID potential leaders and potentially support collective bargaining. We believe we will have enough traction with an ordinance to use as a legitimate tool for organizing and potentially as legislation to raise standards.

Move fast and furious with an army of 200-300 Staff/MOs/VOs/other volunteer organizers and the necessary number of leads to:

Petition for living wage

ID leaders

Bring workers together within geographies

Sign authorization cards

File on dozens of restaurants per week

Does this sound familiar?
Although the SEIU’s actions are a modified version of its 2009 blueprint, the actions are remarkably similar to what the SEIU laid out four years ago.
So, what is the end game?
Money. Money for the SEIU that is.

While fast-food workers won’t get the $15 they are campaigning for, if unionized, the SEIU will get union dues. Moreover, with union dues standing averaging 1.3% (or more) of pay, if a fast-food worker earns $8 per hour, the SEIU gets at least $0.10 per hour for every hour the employee works.

That’s not, of course, counting the initiation fees the SEIU will collect for every new worker hired. With turnover in the fast-food industry, initiation fees alone will account for millions in the SEIU’s coffers–and the more turnover there is, the more money the SEIU makes.

Of course, along with unions come union rules–typically designed to make jobs less productive and require more workers. (More workers mean more union dues.)

No matter how you slice it, it appears the SEIU’s campaign to unionize fast food workers is escalating and, like it or not, someday, your Big Mac may come with a union label stamped on those two all-beef patties.
_________________________

When the one you love becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure.

I believe in a fair wage for the job performed. I also do not purchase anything that I think has an unfair price. I suspect if the prices become unreasonable due to labor rates others will do the same as I do and that establishment will go out of business and as you said, unemployment will grow and entry level jobs will be a thing of the past.

Unions have one agenda which getting all they can and they don't care if it comes from a minimum wage worker as long as they get it.

Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

What if all we have today is what we gave thanks for yesterday?

Let the views of others educate and inform you, but let your decisions be a product of your own conclusions. (Jim Rohn)

I believe in a fair wage for the job performed. I also do not purchase anything that I think has an unfair price. I suspect if the prices become unreasonable due to labor rates others will do the same as I do and that establishment will go out of business and as you said, unemployment will grow and entry level jobs will be a thing of the past.

Unions have one agenda which getting all they can and they don't care if it comes from a minimum wage worker as long as they get it.

Many of us lived through the 70's and early 80's when the American automobile industry owned the world as far as car production. But over that period they started producing poor quality. How many of you remember the term 'planned obsolescence'? American cars became very poor quality, with a few notable exceptions...but every manufacture produced a number of models every year, that would not last 100K. Enter Japan, within a few years, Japan was all over it, they saw the opportunity, had copied our manufacturing and quality control methods, and like most things Japanese back then, they copied it and then improved it! In response to this challenge, the American car industry raised the prices, to try and recover lost revenue, paid the union more (because they were charging more), and never focused on improving quality. 20-25 years later some of the automakers finally started improving quality, but it was too late as foreign automakers had taken over much of the market. Unionization was necessary back in the beginning of the industrial revolution, but in modern times, they limit the free market system and as such make it so their companies cannot compete on the global markets...that is how we stopped being a world market leader!

I believe in a fair wage for the job performed. I also do not purchase anything that I think has an unfair price. I suspect if the prices become unreasonable due to labor rates others will do the same as I do and that establishment will go out of business and as you said, unemployment will grow and entry level jobs will be a thing of the past.

Unions have one agenda which getting all they can and they don't care if it comes from a minimum wage worker as long as they get it.

I hate to break through the beautiful echo, but another point of view is that "Corporations (aka "people" right?) have one agenda which is getting all they can and they don't care if it comes from a minimum wage worker as long as they get it."
Case in point being McDonald's which employs 440,000 workers worldwide. The average full timer earns $18,200 per year. The company typically has an $8 billion profit, which works out to be about $18,200 per employee. Keep in mind that many employees are part time, so the profit per employee is greater than what the vast majority of workers makes each year. The company's own employee budget recommends a second job to make ends meet.

I am curious, what is a fair profit margin per employee for job performed? At what profit margin do you think McDonalds would have any reason to increase wages? When their net profits are 2, or 2.5, or 3 times the typical employee salary? In this economy where corporate profits are at record highs and wages are stagnant or regressing in real world dollars, exactly when is the trickle down supply side economic boost going to kick in? Perhaps increasing wages would increase consumer demand and spur this economy. The other approach clearly has not worker for 10+ years.

If the employees were to be payed a fair wage then the CEOs wouldn't be able to be paid 354 times higher than average worker. That would make no sense, especially when they are so busy managing them into the ground.

I hate to break through the beautiful echo, but another point of view is that "Corporations (aka "people" right?) have one agenda which is getting all they can and they don't care if it comes from a minimum wage worker as long as they get it."
Case in point being McDonald's which employs 440,000 workers worldwide. The average full timer earns $18,200 per year. The company typically has an $8 billion profit, which works out to be about $18,200 per employee. Keep in mind that many employees are part time, so the profit per employee is greater than what the vast majority of workers makes each year. The company's own employee budget recommends a second job to make ends meet.

I am curious, what is a fair profit margin per employee for job performed? At what profit margin do you think McDonalds would have any reason to increase wages? When their net profits are 2, or 2.5, or 3 times the typical employee salary? In this economy where corporate profits are at record highs and wages are stagnant or regressing in real world dollars, exactly when is the trickle down supply side economic boost going to kick in? Perhaps increasing wages would increase consumer demand and spur this economy. The other approach clearly has not worker for 10+ years.

Henry your not even close here. I have a MBA and I will tell you the profits aren't what you think they are. Your liberal President and union backed Democrats have seen to it that taxes and regulations are such that United states is on the loosing end in the global market. The big companies are doing just what many very rich Americans are doing, taking their toys and leaving the country. You really think someone who has no education, no student loans, should be paid what??/ 100k a year? If you think this is bad take your own money and risk it with the hard work, then just to have someone like you bash them for their profits. Nothing is stopping you from opening your own business and then paying your employees as much as you want. it's called capitalism, I know dirty word for Obama supporters.

I hate to break through the beautiful echo, but another point of view is that "Corporations (aka "people" right?) have one agenda which is getting all they can and they don't care if it comes from a minimum wage worker as long as they get it."
Case in point being McDonald's which employs 440,000 workers worldwide. The average full timer earns $18,200 per year. The company typically has an $8 billion profit, which works out to be about $18,200 per employee. Keep in mind that many employees are part time, so the profit per employee is greater than what the vast majority of workers makes each year. The company's own employee budget recommends a second job to make ends meet.

I am curious, what is a fair profit margin per employee for job performed? At what profit margin do you think McDonalds would have any reason to increase wages? When their net profits are 2, or 2.5, or 3 times the typical employee salary? In this economy where corporate profits are at record highs and wages are stagnant or regressing in real world dollars, exactly when is the trickle down supply side economic boost going to kick in? Perhaps increasing wages would increase consumer demand and spur this economy. The other approach clearly has not worker for 10+ years.

Sounds to me the 440,000 should take those more lucrative and fulfilling jobs that are clamering to hire them AND BUY McDonalds Stock!!!!!